Context: Sample Registration System 2018 report shows that: for the first time, more than half of India’s population, irrespective of gender or whether it’s in urban or rural areas, is now 25 years or older.

Key Facts

• As India’s fertility rate goes down steadily along with a rise in life expectancy, the proportion of its young population is shrinking and the median age has been increasing.
• The report showed that even among rural men, the proportion of those below 25 years of age had fallen to 49.9% from 50.2% in 2017.
• In all other categories — urban women, urban men and rural women — those under 25 already constituted less than half the population.
• However, there are still several states, those that continue to have high fertility rates, where this proportion is much higher.
• Bihar, with the highest fertility rate of 3.2, had the highest proportion of its population below 25 years, 57.2%, followed by UP with the second-highest fertility rate of 2.9.
• The longer a state has had low fertility rates and relatively high life expectancy, the smaller the proportion of its population below 25 years.
• Since fertility is lower in urban areas, the proportion of under 25s is less in urban areas than rural. Migration to urban areas could also be playing a part.
• Higher life expectancy among women and, in some states, declining sex ratios also means in most states, proportion of under-25s among women is lower than men.